Weather Research and Forecasting Model: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:50, 18 August 2023

Revision as of 04:24, 27 May 2024

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The effort to develop WRF began in the latter part of the 1990s and was a collaborative partnership principally among the [[National Center for Atmospheric Research]] (NCAR), the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (represented by the [[National Centers for Environmental Prediction]] (NCEP) and the (then) Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL)), the [[Air Force Weather Agency]] (AFWA), the [[Naval Research Laboratory]] (NRL), the [[University of Oklahoma]] (OU), and the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA).<ref name="NCAR news release">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/wrf.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901075715/https://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2006/wrf.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 September 2006 |publisher=NCAR |title=Weather Forecast Accuracy Gets Boost with New Computer Model |date=25 August 2006 |access-date=27 June 2010 }}</ref> The bulk of the work on the model has been performed or supported by NCAR, NOAA, and AFWA.

WRF allows researchers to produce simulations reflecting either real data (observations, analyses) or idealized atmospheric conditions. WRF provides operational forecasting a flexible and robust platform, while offering advances in physics, numerics, and data assimilation contributed by the many research community developers. WRF is currently in operational use at NCEP and other forecasting centers internationally. WRF has grown to have a large worldwide community of users (over 30,000 registered users in over 150 countries), and workshops and tutorials are held each year at NCAR. WRF is used extensively for research and real-time forecasting throughout the world. It has been shown to perform well in simulating [[Convection#Atmospheric convection|Atmospheric convection]],<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1175/MWR2830.1|title=Evaluating Mesoscale NWP Models Using Kinetic Energy Spectra|year=2004|last1=Skamarock|first1=William C.|journal=Monthly Weather Review|volume=132|issue=12|pages=3019–3032|bibcode=2004MWRv..132.3019S|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1175/MWR-D-15-0326.1|title=Evolution of the Diurnal Precipitation Cycle with the Passage of a Madden–Julian Oscillation Event through the Maritime Continent|year=2016|last1=Vincent|first1=Claire L.|last2=Lane|first2=Todd P.|journal=Monthly Weather Review|volume=144|issue=5|pages=1983–2005|bibcode=2016MWRv..144.1983V|doi-access=free|hdl=11343/197698|hdl-access=free}}</ref> but to be prone to producing [[squall line]]s too easily.<ref>{{Cite journal| doi=10.1002/qj.3855| title=Locally forced convection in sub‐kilometre scale simulations with the Unified Model and WRF| year=2020| last1=Jucker| first1=M.| last2=Lane| first2=T.P.| last3=Vincent| first3=C.L.| last4=Webster| first4=S.| last5=Wales| first5=S.A.| last6=Louf| first6=V.| journal=Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society| volume=146| issue=732| pages=3450–3465| bibcode=2020QJRMS.146.3450J| doi-access=free| hdl=11343/241629| hdl-access=free}}</ref>

WRF offers two dynamical solvers for its computation of the atmospheric governing equations, and the variants of the model are known as WRF-ARW (Advanced Research WRF) and WRF-NMM (nonhydrostatic mesoscale model). The Advanced Research WRF (ARW) is supported to the community by the NCAR Mesoscale and Microscale Meteorology Laboratory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf-user-support-contributor-information|title=WRF User Support & Contributor Information &#124; MMM: Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Laboratory|website=www.mmm.ucar.edu}}</ref> The WRF-NMM solver variant was based on the Eta model, and later nonhydrostatic mesoscale model, developed at NCEP. The WRF-NMM (NMM) is supported to the community by the Developmental Testbed Center (DTC).